Kyle and her husband moved to Brookfield in 1986. She became active in local politics and started blogging in 2004. Her focus is primarily on local issues but often includes state and national topics, too. Kyle looks at things from the taxpayers' perspective in a creative, yet down to earth way, addressing them from a practical point of view.

Did you know that Adolf Hitler and his henchmen were heavily influenced by Darwinian dogma? That, in fact, Darwinism was the driving force behind their attempt to wipe out the Jewish people as well as others they considered racially inferior?

Can't figure out why President Obama is spending us into oblivion? or apologizing for America's greatness in the world? What about refusing to let American oil companies drill offshore but loans money to Brazil to drill there? How about why he doesn't help out his half brother George in Kenya?

Well, if you go see Dinesh D'Souza's documentary movie 2016: Obama's America, these and other perplexing questions about why Obama does what he does will all make sense. Spoiler Alert: One reason is Obama's hatred of colonialism.

Though I rarely see a movie (unless it's at the budget theater), I did go see the movie at the AMC Mayfair Mall 18 theater, and it was well worth the $6 early admission price. The movie is still here in the Milwaukee area and I urge you to see it whether you are a Conservative, Republican, Independent or Democrat.

Eleven years have passed since the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, and in those 11 years, our world has become a much more dangerous place: Iran is working on becoming a nuclear power, the Arab Spring is now controlling once tourist friendly Egypt, the entire middle east is in upheaval. Yet despite this increased unrest, our nation has been kept safe from additional terrorist attacks.

Today, Gov. Walker, Mayor Tom Barrett and other area officials gathered at the War Memorial to honor the Sept. 11 victims, which is appropriate. Similar gatherings all across our nation will occur today.

A September 11th radio ad this year samples Americans and what they plan to do to in remembrance of this day. One says they will say thanks to a firefighter, another a policeman, etc. Volunteering is another option. These are all well and good, but for me there is one glaring omission: thanking God for His blessing of protection.

...Unless the LORD watches over the city, the guards stand watch in vain.

AsI wrote in 2008, reflecting on our Sept. 11th experience out in South Dakota, "Our nation held its collective breath, waiting for something else to happen after those first 4 plane crashes. Thank God, it didn't.

"After a few days, we started our trek home. Just as there are no atheists in foxholes, we saw "God Bless America" signs pop up everywhere--from gas stations, to fast food restaurants, to city hall marquis. People instinctively knew we needed divine intervention.

"I really thought we could be in for a string of attacks. That life in America would come to resemble life in Israel, where attacks and explosions are commonplace.

Today is Flag Day, a day that commemorates the Continental Congress' adoption 235 years ago, on June 14, 1777, "that the flag of the thirteen United States be thirteen stripes, alternate red and white; that the union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field [canton], representing a new constellation."

Mark your calendar for the Elmbrook Historical Society's 18th Annual Civil War Days Encampment at the Dousman Stagecoach Inn Museum on Saturday, May 5th and Sunday, May 6th. The historic Dousman Inn, outbuildings, and grounds are located at 1075 Pilgrim Parkway (north of Blue Mound Rd.) in Brookfield. Park for free nearby at Pilgrim Park Middle School at 1500 Pilgrim Parkway and take the shuttle to the Inn.

The 2 day event, 10am - 4pm (both days), includes craftsmen, soldier camps, skirmish, cannon fire, President Lincoln, fashion show, worship service, and more! (We had quite an interesting conversation about President Lincoln with the embalmer at a past encampment.) Check the schedule for times and events.

Admission is $5 for adults, $2 for children 6 - 16, children under 5 are free. Food and beverages are available both days. There is also a raffle and silent auction.

Do you know a Veteran? Today is Veteran's Day, a day set aside "to celebrate the bravery and sacrifice of all U.S. veterans." So make a point of saying thank you for your service today if you see a veteran. You also might want to drop off a pie, cake, or some other treat to express your gratitude. (Saying thank you is appropriate every day of the year to all enlisted and veteran soldiers.)

Another thing you can do that will help veterans and their families is to donate to the Wisconsin Fisher House project. Fisher House, was created to give families of wounded soldiers a place to stay while their serviceman underwent medical treatment at a VA Hospital. In our area, that would be at the Clement Zablocki VA Medical Center in Milwaukee. Just click the link to donate online or mail a donation directly to them: Fisher House Wisconsin, 5000 W. National Avenue, Milwaukee, WI 53295.

Veteran's Day has always been celebrated on November 11th, but until 1954, the day was originally called Armistice Day, which marked the end of WWI in 1918. It was a day set aside to honor the cause of world peace and all those who served in that great war. The name was changed 57 years ago to Veteran's Day, so that veterans of all wars would be honored. This year's Veteran's Day is unique in that its date reads 11.11.11.

On this day, and always, Thank you, Veterans, for putting your life on hold, and for being willing to risk your life to serve our country.

On July 4th, the Village of Elm Grove hosted a Revolutionary War camp complete with re-enactors as part of their 4th of July festivities. Unfortunately, I got there just in time to see them pack up!

But in talking to one of the soldiers, I found out that the group, The North West Territory Alliance -NWTA, would be holding a much larger event this coming weekend at Fox River County Park in Kenosha County, near Silver Lake, Wisconsin. Called Rebels and Redcoats on the Fox, this event will be a much larger encampment and would even include skirmishes. (Though the link was for registering for the event, it also includes a map and directions to the park.)

The NWTA is a "...non-profit educational organization that studies and recreates the culture, lifestyle, and arts of the time of the American Revolution, 1775-1783." They have over 500 reenactors from the Midwest and participate in reenactments in Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, and Wisconsin throughout the year. (Their next Wisconsin event is scheduled for Sept. 3&4 at Pioneer Village in Saukville, Wisconsin.)

Today our nation celebrates the 235th anniversary of declaring our independence from England with parades, picnics, and fireworks. At church yesterday, we were reminded to pray for our nation and for our leaders.

While I'm not planning on attending our Brookfield parade or fireworks, I do hope to get my gardening chores finished early enough to stop in at the Elm Grove Village Park to see the Revolutionary War re-enactment. What a great idea, Elm Grove! Thanks for focusing our attention on the price that was paid for our freedom.

Hope you enjoy this beautiful day and take a moment to give thanks for this wonderful country and the blessings of liberty we enjoy.

God bless AmericaGod bless America,
Land that I love,
Stand beside her and guide her
Thru the night with a light from above;

Sad but true, June 4th & 5th marks the 10th and final Reclaiming Our Heritage weekend at Milwaukee's VA Medical Center. (5000 W. National Ave. behind Miller Park) As the JSOnline reported in March, "In some respects the event is a victim of its popularity." The article mentioned that the reenactment weekend grew from just 50 reenactors with around 3,000 visitors in 2002 to hosting 700 war re-enactors and over 10,000 visitors last year.

I have been to a few Civil War reenactor events around the country, but Reclaiming Our Heritage was unique in that it hosted reenactors from many war eras at the same time: Pre Civil War, Civil War, WWI, WW2, Korean War, Vietnam War, and Iraq.

However, one drawback to all that variety is that all those groups need open space to set up their camps and conduct Living History demonstrations. And with the the VAs new building plans, vacant areas, large enough to house all those reenactor camps, is said to become too scarce for future events. (Many of the reenactors actually live in their camps for the weekend.)

So attend if you can, because this is your last chance to experience this Living History event at such a history rich location as the VA and National Cemetery.

Reclaiming Our Heritage is billed as Family Friendly and Positively Patriotic and seems to include events of interest for the whole family: plenty of music, dancing, fashions, soldier reenactments and demos, church services on Sunday, and more. Check out the Reclaiming Our Heritage events page for specifics.

About 700 years before the birth of Christ, Isaiah the prophet of Israel wrote about the coming Savior of the world:

Therefore the Lord Himself shall give you a sign:
Behold, the young woman who is unmarried and a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel [God with us]. Isaiah 7:14 Amplified Version

In my childhood days, I would have raced downstairs on this morning to check my St. Nick stocking. These days, I often remember the day with a little treat for my family, even though we are all adults.

Somehow, St. Nick always forgets ;-) my stocking, but this morning, I found a very pleasant surprise in my email in-box that put me in the Christmas spirit. Here it is:

"This flash mob was organized by http://www.AlphabetPhotography.com to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas!" The clip information stated there were over 100 participants in the production. This would be one of the few times I wish I had been shopping!

Today is Veterans Day, a day set aside "to celebrate the bravery and sacrifice of all U.S. veterans." So today, if you know a Veteran, be sure to say thank you for your service. I also think it appropriate to say thank you to those currently serving their country.

The USO offers a very easy way to express your thanks today up until Thanksgiving. All you have to do is click the link and send a message. You can designate who you want it to go to: active duty, veteran, family, etc. (They wouldn't mind a donation to the USO too.)

For people of my vintage and older, Veterans Day used to be known as Armistice Day and was celebrated on November 11th to mark the day World War I ended in 1918.

The website Military.com gives a great history of the holiday along with an explanation of the purpose of Memorial Day. There is a lot of confusion regarding the Armistice Day, Veterans Day and Memorial Day.

In a nutshell, Armistice Day was a day "dedicated to the cause of world peace" and to honor those who served in WWI. Then in 1954, Armistice Day became Veterans Day, a day to honor vets of all wars. However, the purpose of Memorial Day was to honor those "who died in service to their country or as a result of injuries incurred during battle". Deceased veterans who died as a result of natural causes are to be remembered on Veterans Day, as evidenced by the field of flags at many cemeteries.

When the Declaration of Independence was signed, John Adams wrote to his wife Abigail his thoughts on how this special day should be remembered:

"I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival.It ought to be commemorated as the day of deliverance, by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty.It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations, from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward for evermore."

There are a number of special events on my calendar for the next 2 weeks that I wanted to share with you. (I will try to post more about each individual event later.)

One thing I would love to mark on my calendar would be the date businessman and Oshkosh Tea Party founder Ron Johnson announces that he is running for U.S. Senate against Russ Feingold. If you haven't heard, State Senator Ted Kanavas just announced he is NOT running.

Saturday and Sunday, May 1st & 2nd, 10am - 4pm: Civil War Encampment at Brookfield's historic Dousman Stagecoach Inn ~ The 2 day event includes craftsmen, soldier camps, skirmish, cannon fire, President Lincoln, fashion show, worship service, and more! We had quite an interesting conversation about President Lincoln with the embalmer at a past encampment.

Saturday, May 8th, 9am - noon: 6th Annual WEED-OUT Garlic Mustard Pull at Mary Knoll Park ~ The Garlic Mustard is coming up early this year. In fact, it is already blooming in places. Check out last year's post for more information, links and pictures: Mary Knoll "Weed Out"

What makes this presentation unique, is that Dr. Jastram actually worked directly with the Scrolls and published a first edition of their contents. He currently is Chair of the Department of Theology and Philosophy at Concordia University in Mequon. His talk will include discussion of "his experiences with the Scrolls, along with their historical and theological significance."

From the CSSM website: "'Many years ago, I worked with the Dead Sea Scrolls in Jerusalem, piecing together fragments of the book of Numbers from Cave 4. On February 5 and 6, it was a great pleasure to introduce the Milwaukee Public Museum’s exhibit of the Scrolls and other archaeological objects to many people in the area, and to discuss how they contribute to our knowledge of the Bible,' said Dr. Jastram."

Whether you have already seen the Milwaukee Public Museum's special Dead Sea Scrolls and the Bible exhibit, are planning to visit, or just interested in the Bible and history, Tuesday's presentation at Concordia should prove beneficial. (MPM's Scrolls exhibit runs through June 3rd.) The Scrolls have been dated from 150 BC - 70 AD.

Dr. Jastram's talk is free and open to the general public. It is being held in the Lake Shore Room at Concordia University, just a little north of I-43 and Mequon Road. See map for specifics with map of campus (at bottom). The Lake Shore room is at the midpoint of the campus, southwest of the Chapel.

More on the Scrolls
I went to see MPM's Dead Sea Scrolls and the Bible exhibit and found it very interesting. Many other photos and archeological artifacts are also included along with the scrolls.

A few of my favorites were the film footage of the early "experts" with the scrolls. One clip showed a priest who was standing, rolling up the ancient scrolls on his stomach, much like you might roll up a long towel! Check out the photos of the researchers smoking over the Scrolls. They also uses Scotch Tape on some of the fragments.

As I posted in February, my Sunday School teacher, Dr. Gary Gulan, offered a presentation at our church on the Dead Sea Scrolls. He has now posted some of the information from his presentation on his website: Beyond the Pulpit. The Scrolls pages are listed under the category, Articles, then Archeology.

Tuesday night's talk at Concordia offers a rare opportunity to hear from someone who has actually worked with the Scrolls. I think it should not be missed.

Children born in the 1950s grew up during the height of the cold war. I was one of them. We were issued stainless steel I.D. bracelets--complete with religious preference...just in case? Besides fire drills, we had numerous duck and cover drills at our grade school, practice runs for evacuating the school, and once were told to go home during the school day and rehearse going into our basements or wherever we planned to hide out if we were nuked.

All of this weighed heavy on my young psyche. But at least we knew if we were attacked, we had President Kennedy who had the will and the means to retaliate. His will and means gave an enemy pause before pushing the button.

Nearly 50 years after those troubling years, is the United States still on top of their nuclear and counter anti-missile technology? Are we still developing more defensive Star Wars type anti missile shields and weaponry?

No. Instead we have a President who seems bent on destroying any lead we had in the space race by de-funding NASA's new Constellation moon project in favor of researching and monitoring climate change for now, and a "heavy-lift" rocket--10 years or more away. Unlike President Kennedy, Obama spurns our position of superiority and technical strength.

Just last month an aide said "the administration [has] rejected proposals that the United States declare it would never be the first to use nuclear weapons."

But Obama announced yesterday that he "was revamping American nuclear strategy to substantially narrow the conditions under which the United States would use nuclear weapons, even in self-defense... ...For the first time, the United States is explicitly committing not to use nuclear weapons against nonnuclear states that are in compliance with the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, even if they attacked the United States with biological or chemical weapons or launched a crippling cyberattack." (My emphasis)

I always thought the best strategy in warding off conflict was to speak from a position of power, not outline specifically what you would or wouldn't do. You know, Speak softly and carry a BIGstick.

Considering Obama's new direction of "...developing no new nuclear weapons, including the nuclear bunker-busters advocated by the Bush administration", we have a very weak president who likes to Speak softly, and carry NO stick. That position can only be called, "naïve and dangerous."

More Reading: The Cuban Missile CrisisHeritage Foundation: The Road to a New Nuclear Arms Race, "Unfortunately for Americans, President Obama’s new strategy will have the exact opposite result of its intended effect. Instead of incentivizing countries to give up nuclear ambitions, it creates new incentives for them to maintain or develop their own nuclear programs. First look at the Russians, who clearly still see their nuclear weapons as the cornerstone of their defense, no matter how much President Obama wishes it were otherwise. Moscow has no interest in diminishing its own nuclear arsenal, but it is perfectly happy to allow the Obama administration to weaken the U.S. deterrent until it is on equal footing with Russia’s currently mediocre might. ...A country like Iran is equally unimpressed with President Obama’s unilateral disarmament strategy." (My emphasis)

Are you planning on seeing the special Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit at the Milwaukee Public Museum? I have heard it is spectacular. It is the largest special exhibit our museum has ever produced. The Dead Sea Scrolls have been traveling the museum special exhibit circuit in the U.S., but this one, I have heard, incorporates even more artifacts into the exhibition.

OnMilwaukee.com has an in depth account of the exhibit in Stunning "Dead Sea Scrolls" a trove of history Their posting states "faith is not a prerequisite for marveling at 'Dead Sea Scrolls and the Bible: Ancient Artifacts, Timeless Treasures.'" In other words, it is an exhibit anyone can benefit from.

Usually I like to familiarize myself with the subject of a special exhibit before I attend. Knowing what to look for ahead of time makes my experience that much more meaningful. Sure, I have read one of the books and some info on the scroll discovery over the years, but knowing more of the background information enhances my exhibit experience.

Fortunately, my Sunday School teacher, Dr. Gary Gulan is presenting a special Dead Sea Scroll Seminar this weekend, with lots of slides. If you would like to attend, just contact me and I will give you the specifics.

I am going to see the exhibit mid March. (I'll try to do a follow up post.) You have until June 6th to see it. And speaking of seeing it, On Milwuakee suggest bringing your reading glasses. Good idea.

It sounds like the Milwuakee Public Museum outdid themselves on this one. It shouldn't be missed.

Did you grow up celebrating St. Nicholas' Day? If so, you know to hang your stocking by the chimney on the eve of Dec. 5th!

St. Nicholas or St. Nick is relatively unknown in most of the United States. He was a Christian Bishop living in the Roman Empire in the early 300s AD. The holiday is a German custom and very much part of being a Milwaukeean.

When I was a little girl, we didn't celebrate Santa on Christmas morning, but we did enjoy hanging a clean sock up on the eve of Dec. 5th. Since we didn't have a fire place. we improvised by hanging our socks on the drawer handles of the mahogany knee hole desk. Hey, it kind of looked like a fire place!

It was always fun the next morning to see what mom and dad put into our stockings. Sometimes we would get a stuffed animal; sometimes golden foiled chocolate coins*--those were always intriguing. Once they forgot all about St. Nick until we hung up our socks. That year we got bags of home-popped popcorn, a pack of gum? and some quarters.

Why the chocolate coins? If you know the St. Nicholas story, you would know that he was said to have thrown money through an open window of a poor family's home, during the night. The family was poor and had no dowry money for their 3 daughters. Having no dowry back then meant they probably wouldn't marry, which also meant they would be sold as slaves or go into the oldest profession. The money was said to have landed on their socks and shoes drying by the hearth. It is interesting to me that he did this secretly--no pompous show of his generosity.

In remembering St. Nicholas' Day, oranges or apples often were given. They were to represent the gold St. Nick gave. That is why an orange frequently was put into the toe of a Christmas or St. Nick stocking. (Oranges used to be pricey fruit before the days of improved transportation and considered a real treat.)

I kept the St. Nick tradition alive with my son too. Unlike Santa's visit, which occurs on Christmas Eve, St. Nick occurs early in the month. There is no confusion for children as to where St. Nick fits into the nativity story. (It is rather like celebrating George Washington's birthday with cherry pie.) St. Nicholas Day is a just-for-fun holiday commemorating a real person, who was known for his kindness and good work. No need for all the tall tales, deceit, and subterfuge about how St. Nick is omniscient or makes it all around the world in one night delivering presents to good boys and girls.

No, St. Nicks can be celebrated and enjoyed in the full light of the truth and used to illustrate an important biblical truth that it is more blessed to give than receive. In fact, you could incorporate a secret good deed for a needy family as part of your celebration with your children.

Giving, rather than receiving, after all, is a message we all need to remember every day of the year.

President Harry Truman often said, "The buck stops here." He even had a little plaque that sat on his desk in the Oval Office, bearing that motto. It served as a great reminder that he was ultimately responsible for what went on in his administration. Truman said, "The President—whoever he is—has to decide. He can't pass the buck to anybody. No one else can do the deciding for him. That's his job."

Fast forward 60 years to the Obama administration. We have a president who doesn't seem to realize he is the man at the helm; he is responsible.

"President Barack Obama gave his sternest warning yet about the need to contain rising U.S. deficits, saying on Wednesday that if government debt were to pile up too much, it could lead to a double-dip recession."

..."It is important though to recognize if we keep on adding to the debt, even in the midst of this recovery, that at some point, people could lose confidence in the U.S. economy in a way that could actually lead to a double-dip recession," Obama said.

Unbelievable.

True, the debt is piling up. Lookie Mr. Obama! Click the link to see the Federal Budget Deficit as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product at a glance. The graph shows this year's amount of 9.9% is over 3 times that of last year's. (That would be President Bush's deficit, a level that alarmed conservatives like me.)

Remember the fall of the wall in 1989? It was like a dream come true to those like me who recall it's construction and lived through the height of the Soviet Union's power.

Fast-forward 20 years and today we celebrate the anniversary of that momentous day. But when I compare the state of our country in 1989 to the U.S.A. of today, it saddens me.

Our House of Representatives just passed the most expensive and oppressive health care reform bill AGAINST the wishes of the majority of Americans.

Ordinary citizens have risen up in unprecedented numbers for Tea Party rallies, Town Hall meetings and an impromptu' House Call press conference on the stairs of the nation's Capitol, all to no avail. Turning a deaf ear, 220 Representatives ignored their constituents' wishes and voted for it.

The house bill includes what I believe are unconstitutional mandates for insurance purchase and a hefty $25,000 fine and/or up to 5 year imprisonment for noncompliance. So much for America being called the Land of the Free.

In case you missed last night's, or are unable to see them all, they are also available to view online the day after they appear on TV until October 9th.

Being avid National Parks fans at our house, we watched Episode 1. It highlighted the early history of the National Parks concept and our nations first 2 National Parks: Yosemite and Yellowstone*. Yosemite was the first land set aside by an act of congress; it was put under the jurisdiction of the state of California.

But the program raised an interesting question: had Wyoming been a state at the time Yellowstone's 2 million acres were designated as a park in 1872, would it be just another state park like Yosemite or National Park?

In any event, I am grateful it was set aside for the enjoyment of the people--we sure enjoy it! Pictured is Beehive geyser, a name given to the dome shaped cone by the 1870 Washburn expedition mentioned in the program.

The September 12th Tea Party in Washington D.C. exceeded my expectations. Crowd estimates are all over the map, ranging from 10s of thousands, to 100s of thousands, to over a million. Crowd estimates have always been iffy; the Million Man March, for example, ranged from 850,000 to 1.9 million.

Whatever the numbers, the crowds were peaceful, from what I could glean, and the signs clever. One protester had a hearse with big letters on the side reading OBAMACAE. Another had a frowny face with tears that read: Worried Democrat. This was no AstroTurf, this was real grassroots.

One thing I learned from my first venture in fighting city hall on a very local issue back in 2004, was that it takes a l-o-n-g time to get the information out and people to get up to speed. People are so busy these days, they often don't pay much attention to issues -- even when it affects their own back yards.

I also remember talking to a few homeowners the day before the vote for our 2008 $62 million dollar Elmbrook School referendum. These taxpayers either didn't know there was a referendum on the ballot or didn't look at the materials the school had sent out... yet. That referendum was for $62 million dollars and they couldn't be bothered?

Much the same happens with State and National elections. Election day comes and many voters haven't investigated the candidates beyond a campaign slogan or commercial. Life goes on and the ill informed voter goes on his/her merry way on autopilot, not to be bothered about it until the next election. (That is if they vote at all.)

President Obama won the 2008 election promising Hope & Change. The voters who didn't agree with his real agenda, but voted based on his campaign promises, hoped the change would be for the better. If Obama had not hit the ground running toward the left so vigorously, I wonder if we would have these Tea Parties today? If he would have taken a slower pace, maybe the whole taxpayer protest movement would have never gotten off the ground.

But slow paced, Obama is not. Between apologizing all over the world for America being America, his unprecedented spending, his promotion of Cap and Trade, and now his ObamaCare push, the majority of Americans are feeling very uneasy. They are realizing no matter how strong our economy, we cannot sustain this level of deficit spending. We certainly cannot afford this with a sick economy and high unemployment numbers.

People are snapping out of autopilot and realizing their liberty is at stake. They are now willing to inconvenience themselves and invest their time and money to travel to their state capitals and this past weekend, to their nations capitol, to let their government know this has to stop.

I venture to say, if people would have been paying attention all along, there would be no need for term limits or tea parties.

It is thrilling to see the crowds, peacefully assembling, as our Constitution allows, in our capitol cities. I can only pray it is not too late to turn this around.

When we studied the Revolutionary War in our homeschool, we learned about the Patriots that had the ability to ignite the public to action. They were called firebrands. Two come to mind: Samuel Adams and Patrick Henry.

Our 2009 Tea Party movement was sparked by Chicagoan Rick Santelli back in February. He isn't exactly a firebrand, but I would have to call him a spark or catalyst of the modern Tea Party movement. Rick has faded into the background, but the idea he kindled is alive and well.

A BIG thank you to all who have participated in Tea Parties and Town Halls this year. We all need to be informed and involved in local, state, and national politics. As we have found out the hard way, autopilot doesn't work too well!

Today is the 8th anniversary of the September 11th attacks. It seemed it would always be a day to be remembered much like Pearl Harbor Day or D and V Day. But this year, President Obama has changed the purpose of this day from a day to remember what happened on that day and be thankful that our nation is safe, to a National Day of Service. I must confess that I did not even know that happened back in April of this year*.

While studying the WW2 era in our homeschool history class, I was surprised to learn how many Americans living on the east and west coasts were instructed to keep their eyes open for any enemy activity. In fact, South Carolina's Coast Guard Beach Patrol trained for possible German landings. The threat was real.

Since September 11th, Americans are called upon to be observant and report suspicious behavior or abandoned parcels/backpacks. These examples of vigilance are understandable.

But I cannot remember any president in my lifetime ever asking that people's emails or web postings* be reported if they are against their agenda. In this case, against Obama's ideal of Health Care reform. That seems awfully Big Brother-ish.

From the White House website via Redstate: (Their emphasis)
"There is a lot of disinformation about health insurance reform out there, spanning from control of personal finances to end of life care. These rumors often travel just below the surface via chain emails or through casual conversation. Since we can’t keep track of all of them here at the White House, we’re asking for your help. If you get an email or see something on the web about health insurance reform that seems fishy, send it to flag@whitehouse.gov."

President Obama's request to turn in citizens' "fishy" information seems eerily reminiscent of Germany's 1930s and WW2 years to me. Remember how Hitler encouraged the Hitler Youth to turn in anyone, including their parents, who did not support Hitler's agenda? From Military History Online:(My emphasis)

"An ominous new development within the HJ [Hitlerjugend or Hitler Youth] was the appearance of HJ-Streifendienst (Patrol Force) units functioning as internal political police, maintaining order at meetings, ferreting out disloyal members, and denouncing anyone who criticized Hitler or Nazism including, in a few cases, their own parents."

"Many of these same HJbecame so infatuated by their Nazi education and work ethic, that they became hostile towards anyone who did not share the Nazi view of the world. Often, this included members of their own families. ...In one of the great ironies of history, parents suddenly became afraid of their own children, especially if their sons were HJ members. The adults found themselves living in fear that their son or daughter could report anti-Nazi talk or behavior to the Gestapo, whereby they would end up in a re-education or concentration camp."

As for President Obama's unprecedented request to turn in those who don't share his vision, most of us wondered, is this reporting legal? Doesn't this violate the Constitution's 1st amendment? Redstate thinks so:

"Given the near certainty that no one will be stripping from emails the names of the people forwarding on the information, the White House is most likely engaged in unlawful activity."

After years of disappointing decisions regarding development in our city, I almost can't believe that the Common Council voted unanimously, 13-0* to allow the Siepmann Farmstead to stay last night. They did it with no discussion!

In so many past cases, the will of the people has been ignored. Capitol Heights comes to mind. That one was B.B., before I started blogging. Then there was TID 3. Many spoke out against that one at a plan commission meeting. It passed anyway. How about the heartbreak of widening Calhoun Road south? Maybe those examples are what make saving the Siepmann such a pleasant surprise.

The only hurdle remaining is an economic one. Will the developer 4S be able to make the changes he has proposed in this economy? I certainly hope so. As I stated before, the concept of a wedding center seems to be a good fit for the property.

A BIG thanks to the 13 Aldermen, Lisa Mellone in particular, the Elmbrook Historical Society, the blogs and articles on the historic farmhouse, Dan Ertl (I don't often get to thank him), the board of appeals, the plan commission, Chicago Title, for providing the title search free of charge to the Elmbrook Historical Society, and of course, 4S, the developer, for being open to the will of the people! (I probably forgot a few.)

One of the first lessons we learned while studying Economics in our home school was "Tanstaafl, the Romans and Us." It was chapter 2 in Richard Maybury's book, Whatever Happened to Penny Candy? The book is simply written but contains invaluable information on the principles of economics and how the world works. Too bad it isn't required reading for every President, Legislator, Judge, Cabinet Member and Czar.

So, what is TANSTAAFL? Tanstaafl stands for: "There Ain't No Such Thing As AFree Lunch." It was a very popular saying during the Great Depression.

Tanstaafl is a law of economics--a fact of life--yet our government and president, in particular, seem to have never learned about it. It says that everything of value carries a cost, or put another way, nothing of value is free. "Someone must pay for it, if not with money, then with time and hard work."

The author, Richard Maybury, then cites the example of the air we breathe--even clean air isn't free because "people work hard and spend lots of money to keep it clean enough to breathe." (Just ask the folks at WE Energies or any manufacturer.)

Chapter 2 opens by discussing the double-digit inflation of the 1970s and early 1980s--the Carter years, something our nation had not really experienced before. (Exception being the Confederate dollar during the Civil War era.) Maybury then compares what went on in ancient Rome with our economic woes. Imagine if this book was written today? The US Deficit just hit $1 TRILLION dollars, a new all time high, and could reach $1.8 or so Trillion by year's end.

Ancient Rome was famous for its road system and wars to conquer other nations. Both of those things require money. Lots of money. Public works projects and a large standing army require funding. How do you do that?

Tax the people, right? Rome was also famous for its taxes. (Remember the Christmas story? Mary and Joseph had to go to Bethlehem to be taxed and counted in the census?)

Well, to pay taxes, you have to have some sort of job. Hence, another thing we have in common with the Roman Empire; they had a large welfare program.

So Rome had public works projects, a large standing army, and welfare to fund, but very little actual manufacturing or productivity in their country. You can only tax so much--even if you are Rome!

The Emperors knew that too high a tax rate might result in revolt, not polite Tea Parties, but actual revolt. Today, we would just inflate the money supply by printing more money. They used silver coins so they solved the problem by clipping off the edge of each coin collected in taxes and then melting the clipped parts to mint more coins. Of course the money was not worth a full Denarius anymore, but the Roman government did it anyway. They wanted to fund their wish list of public works, army, and welfare programs to keep the unemployed masses happy. They hoped nobody would notice.

But the merchants did notice. After a few close shaves, the coins were noticeably smaller and lighter. Merchants started to refuse clipped money or required 2 clipped coins for one real one. The currency was DEBASED.

DEBASING currencies and INFLATION go hand in hand. Not just in Rome but in the USA. At its extreme, this is what happened in pre WW2 Germany, where a wheelbarrow of German Marks was needed to purchase a loaf of bread.

Today, Europe and China are concerned about how much we have inflated our money supply. Our Secretary of the Treasury was laughed at in China when he told them the dollar was secure. Savvy Americans are concerned too. That is why you hear so much talk of investing in gold.

The only ones that don't really believe in TANSTAAFL are the politicians proposing one costly measure after another without the ability to pay for it: TARP under President Bush, and now President Obama's BAIL-OUTS, STIMULUS 1, CAP and TRADE, NATIONAL HEALTH CARE, and now talk of STIMULUS 2.

Keep TANSTAAFL in mind. It applies to all aspects of life. Everything has a cost, whether it is money, time, effort, loss of quality of life. Nothing is free; someone always pays for it.

Just like the laws of Physics that state you cannot create energy out of nothing, you cannot create money out of nothing either, not even to fund unprecedented government spending. It's because TANSTAAFL.

If you have not called your Senators, do so. (I heard that Kohl was showing signs of weakening on Cap and Trade on Marl Levin last night?) A polite call is the most effective and I make sure they take my name. I urged them both to oppose Cap and Trade, Health Care Reform and threw in opposing Sotomayor too.US Senate Members

If you have been following the save the Siepmann Farm House issue at Brookfield'sStonewood Village, you know that back in May, it looked like it would join the scrap heap of Brookfield's historic buildings. In my May 18th post, Stonewood Village's Siepmann farm on chopping block at Tuesday's Common Council meeting, I asked, "...can't we find some way to save the Siepmann farmstead and still do the wedding center?" and then urged that readers contact their aldermen.

The Siepmann Farm Homestead is a good example of a reader suggested blog topic. The morning of May 18th, someone sent me an email regarding moving or razing the Siepmann home. Since I thought it a worthy topic, I blogged about it.

Stonewood Village, a Brookfield shopping center consisting of historic and period reproduction homes and buildings, is in the process of undergoing major changes, with an emphasis on weddings. The problem is, the historic Siepmann building*, circa 1856, stands in the way of the newly proposed and approved of building plans:

While many in the world remember the Holocaust on this day, The Day of Remembrance, Iran's President Ahmadinejad spoke before the UN anti-racism conference, spewing his usual Holocaust denial sentiments. Those comments prompted "Dozens of diplomats" from Britain and Europe to walk out. The United States, Israel, Australia, Canada, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, New Zealand and Poland did not opt to attend at all, because of concerns that the forum "would be used as a platform for attacks on Israel."

My neighbor, Mike Lilek, is involved with a local Frank Lloyd Wright group that is restoring one of these "American System-Built" homes in Milwaukee. He emailed me today to say he and another project member will be interviewed for a segment of the PBS "In Wisconsin" program on Sunday morning, Chanel 10, at 11:30 am.

Today is the 200th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln's birth. Most Americans have a warm spot in their heart for Lincoln. I know I do. For me, he epitomizes the American dream: that anyone can succeed in this country, even a man from very humble roots. I admire him for his honesty, gentle spirit, and courage. He was a godly man.

The temperature is dropping again. On cold days like today, I am
happy when our little dog plants himself at my feet during the day or
sits on my lap. He is nice and warm. Better yet is when he dives under
the covers at night and snuggles in. One little 13 pound pooch can
generate a fair amount of heat! That made me think of the phrase, 3 dog night.

On cold days like today, I am happy when our little dog plants himself at my feet during the day or sits on my lap. He is nice and warm. Better yet is when he dives under the covers at night and snuggles in. One little 13 pound pooch can generate a fair amount of heat! That made me think of the phrase, 3 dog night.

People act like we are in the great depression. I suggest that if you are with older family members this Thanksgiving, you speak to those who lived through the great depression. You will realize that no matter what the stock market is doing right now, you have much to be thankful of

This weekend, the Wade House in Greenbush, Wisconsin, will host its 18th Annual Civil War Weekend. If you have an interest in American history, this event should prove to be very enjoyable. Hopefully, the weather will cooperate.

I know what the Monroe Doctrine is. I could even tell you that Kennedy pledged to help any country struggling to be free--a take off on the Truman Doctrine: to "support free peoples who are resisting attempted subjugation by armed minorities or by outside pressures."

It is becoming more difficult to ignore the threat of Iran and its long-range (see UPDATE at bottom) missile program. Yesterday they fired 9 missiles and I heard 4*more overnight. I found the reaction of the candidates to this eyeopening.

Alexis de Tocqueville, a French nobleman and political scientist, came
to America in 1831, seeking to find just what made America so great.
This is what he said:

"I sought for the key to the greatness and
genius of America in her harbors; in her fertile fields and boundless
forests; in her rich mines and vast world commerce; in her public
school system and institutions of learning. I sought for it in her
democratic Congress and in her matchless Constitution."

Do you have Memorial Day traditions? Actually, we don't. July 4th seems to have its usual rhythm: Brookfield parade or auto show at Holz in the morning and fireworks at Elm Grove Park in the evening. But somehow with Memorial Day nothing has clicked.

When
I look at the problems in our world, nation, state, community, and our
schools, it becomes very clear to me that our intellect and financial
resources alone cannot solve these problems. Our founding fathers
realized this early in our country’s history too.

According to
the National Day of Prayer website, “The National Day of Prayer is a
vital part of our heritage. Since the first call to prayer in 1775,
when the Continental Congress asked the colonies to pray for wisdom in
forming a nation, the call to prayer has continued through our history,
including President Lincoln's proclamation of a day of "humiliation,
fasting, and prayer" in 1863. In 1952, a joint resolution by Congress,
signed by President Truman, declared an annual, national day of prayer.”

In
recent years, there has also been an open invitation for people of
faith to meet on this day at their local city hall from 12:20 pm –
12:40 pm for 20 minutes of prayer.

Today is one of those days that reminds me of how far we have come as a nation. April 4, 1968 of course was the day Martin Luther King Jr. was gunned down. His I Have a Dream speech is still very powerful and reflects a very biblical view of what the brotherhood of mankind should be.

Recently at a neighborhood party, a few of the moms were talking
about school and the high cost of private school tuition. Two of them
had their children enrolled in parochial elementary and high schools.

Thanksgiving, like many other holidays and historical events these days, is losing its original significance. Christmas has de-evolved into a holiday gift getting frenzy--totally ignoring the birth of Christ, the original reason for the holiday. Easter no longer celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ but instead is a time of Easter egg hunts, bunnies and ham dinners.